The returning runner…
Act 38 – More on hydration…
Despite the 104F temps, the 800m had gone fairly well. Not as fast as I would have liked – I had let the younger leaders go too soon and lost contact. And… although I was totally recovered from my minor surgery of 5 weeks prior, I had one week totally off and then another with no hard stuff. So, only three weeks of consistent training prior to the 2025 USATF Pacific Region Masters Championships. I chalked up a win for my age group but at 2:38 quite a ways behind the times that the best in other parts of the Country had posted. Some work to do…
After last year’s disaster at the US Championships (collapsed in the 5k and puked on the cute medics shoes), I made sure to hydrate well before the race and seemed unaffected by the scorching heat during the event. Afterwards, I was feeling sociable and in a chatty mood with the other competitors. There was a problem though – my tendency to feel quite faint (I call ‘em head rushes) and have to bend over in the middle of lively conversation. I got asked a time or two, “are you ok??”. I was signed up for the 1500 meters as well as the 800. But, it was 104F (or 105 depending on who you talked to) and at the rate they were progressing the 1500m was several hours off. Between fighting off passing out, hanging out in 104F heat, and getting back to Reno quite late, I decided to “bag it” and skip the 1500m.
Once in the car with the AC blasting, I downed in fairly short order something like 40 ounces of Vitalyte. I had taken a few good swallows right after the race and figured since I was done racing for a bit, I was good. But, boy, after really chugging some fluids I pretty darn quickly felt much better. I’m sure the AC was a contributor but it seems like my blood pressure just doesn’t stabilize well when I’m hot and have lost a lot of fluids through perspiration. It was telling to me that on the drive home I downed a total of over 64 ounces (1/2 gallon) and didn’t even come close to needing to pee over the 2-1/2 hour duration.
What’s truly embarrassing, is that my dad (Bill Gookin) was a pioneer related to distance runners and hydration. Seriously, in the 60’s and early 70’s marathoners commonly went the entire race without taking a drink! I remember Doug Schmenk winning the Mission Bay Marathon multiple times without drinking – I know for sure as I was riding a bike as escort. I don’t know how he did it! My dad developed a drink originally called “Gookinaid”, then “ERG” (electrolyte replacement with glucose [also ERG is a unit of energy in chemistry]), and now Vitalyte. Although dad has passed on the drink continues with the company being run by half-sister Jo Christine. I digress. Some things to keep in mind:
· If you are working out and not sweating, YOU NEED TO HYDRATE!
· If you find yourself not needing to pee at a reasonable interval, you probably need to hydrate more.
· Water alone doesn’t replace the electrolytes lost during exercise. Cramping and heat exhaustion can result even if you are drinking plenty of water. Multiple times I’ve witnessed Grand Canyon hikers who had regularly been drinking water down on the trail only to be revised fairly quickly with some electrolyte drink.
· When in doubt, go overboard on the hydration! Heat exhaustion can quickly become heat stroke which is life threatening.
I’m now reminded of the need to carry a camel back or similar on those hot days!
Photo: Amelia Zaragoza battles the heat at the Golden West Invitational in the Girls 11-12 division 800 meters (6/7/2025).